10 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Newton, MA

Newton, Massachusetts

Assisted Living

Assisted living communities arrange residential communities and health care for your loved one who require help with everyday activities such as dressing or meal preparation. Assisted living communities commonly offer aid with transportation and appointments, care supervision, and aid with the activities of daily life. Under certain circumstances, communities may offer nursing care, respite, or hospice. In Massachusetts, the annual median cost for an assisted living community is around $67,680 . Massachusetts maintains specific statutes associated with this type of community. The Executive Office of Elder Affairs regulates this community type. This type of community is required to offer a number of services. These include management of self-administered prescription or over-the-counter medications, timely assistance with urgent or emergency needs, assistance with activities of daily living , and assistance with instrumental activities of daily living. This community type has a number of provisions pertaining to medication assistance. These provisions include observing residents while they take the medication, management of self-administered medications, and opening containers and pre-packaged medications. Public assistance is available through Medicaid 1915(c) Waiver program. Staff must receive training in a variety of areas. These include: Review of the aging process, philosophy of independent living, communication skills, and Job requirements. Before a resident is accepted, they must go through a service plan screening to make sure their needs are going to be met. This screening includes a number of areas of interest such as assessment of residents need for assistance in emergency situations, assessment of the individual’s needs and preferences, assessment of residents ability to manage medications, and assessment of allergies and dietary needs. This type of community is required to have a staff member on duty 24 hours a day. There must be one bath or shower for every 1 residents and one toilet for every 1 residents. This community has a number of provisions concerning food and diet which include a qualified dietitian must review the residence’s dietary plans at least every 6 months, communities must use daily recommended dietary allowances as established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, qualified dietitian must counsel residents regarding therapeutic diets and other dietary issues, and communities must provide up to three regularly scheduled meals daily.

Demographics and Values

In Newton, 4.9% consider themselves widows, 65.8% participate in the labor force, 1.8% do not have health insurance, and 4.3% live in poverty. In terms of education, 77.2% have a college degree, 48.0% have a graduate degree, and 8.8% have a high-school diploma. Racially, the population of Newton is 0.0% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 1.7% other or not specified, 5.5% Hispanic, 0.1% Native American, 3.3% mixed race, 3.2% black, 14.3% Asian, and 77.4% white. Based on gender, 47.1% are male and 52.9% are female. The median age of Newton is 41 years old. Currently, the population of Newton consists of 88,994 people. Newton has a population density of 1,927 people per square mile. In Newton, 3.6% of the population are veterans of the United States military.

Cost of Living

The overall cost of living can be a big influence in choosing which community fits best. Monthly, the median cost of rent in Newton is $2,661 and the median home value in Newton is $844,414. The rent burden for Newton is around 18.5% of the average monthly income.

State Information

An overview of Massachusetts

In total, Massachusetts has 78 general hospitals and 129 health centers that provide care for 6,941,273 citizens. Cape Cod Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and New England Baptist Hospital are among the top three highest ranked hospitals in the state. Residents of Massachusetts enjoy its natural beauty which ranks 26th in the United States. Overall, Massachusetts ranks 8th out of all states in quality of life and 2nd in healthcare. In terms of resources, Massachusetts has a cost of living index of 133.8, a grocery index rating of 113.9, and a housing index rating of 170.3. These index ratings are based on a system where 100 is considered the national average and anything above 100 is considered more expensive than said average.

Social demographics of the state

In the last presidential election 60% of Massachusetts residents voted Democrat and 33% voted Republican. The state has a median age of 39 and 30% of its population being over the age of 55. In terms of diversity, Massachusetts ranks 16th in the nation and is considered very LGBTQ friendly. Twenty-three percent of Massachusetts residents regularly attend a religious service from one of the state’s 4,200 different congregations. The top three Christian denominations in the state are Evangelical Protestant-9%, Mainline Protestant-10%, and Historically Black Protestant-2%. The top three non-Christian denominations in the state are Jewish-3%, Muslim-<1%, and Buddhist-<1%. In Massachusetts there are 27 masonic lodges.

State-wide weather information

The most precipitation occurs in May with an average of 6.10 inches of precipitation a month. The average monthly precipitation for the state of Massachusetts is around 4.04 inches. On average, Massachusetts has an air quality index rating of around 38.9 AQI. The average air quality index rating peaks in the month of May with a rating of around 47.5 AQI. On average, the humidity rating for Massachusetts is around 71%. Humidity levels tend to reach their peak in the month of December at around 71%. The average temperature in the summer rises to around 68F. Over the summer months the average high temperature peaks at around 85F during the month of July. In the summer, the average low temperature drops to around 50F during the month of June. The average temperature in the winter falls to around 28F. During the winter, the average high temperature peaks at around 45F during the month of January. The average low temperature during the winter drops to around 7F in the month of December. While residents of Massachusetts mostly enjoy pleasant conditions, it’s important to be aware of inclement weather as well, which in Massachusetts can include hurricanes, earthquakes (moderate), and and tornadoes.

Wildlife to be found in Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts has a diverse array of plant and animal life. Local plant life can consist of Eastern Red Cedar, American Beech, Flowering Dogwood, and American Linden. While venturing throughout the state, you might see animals such as the Blue Flag, the Obedient Plant, the White Pine, or the New England Aster. The state animal of Massachusetts is the Woodchucks.